EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, INDISCIPLINE AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KILIFI COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Poor academic performance in public examinations among secondary school students in Kenya has not been focused on in relation to emotional intelligence and indiscipline, yet they may immensely affect the students’ academic achievement. Emotional intelligence has been proved to enhance individuals’ success in academic through enhancing student’s communication and interpersonal skills. The main objective of this study was to establish the interrelationship between emotional intelligence and indiscipline, and how these variables related to academic achievement among public secondary school students in Kilifi County. The study also aimed to establish a predictive model of academic achievement from emotional intelligence and indiscipline. The study was informed by Kohlberg’s theory of Moral development. Correlational research design was adopted. The independent variables in the study were emotional intelligence and indiscipline while dependent variable was academic achievement; target population was all the year 2018 form four students in public secondary schools in Kilifi County. Purposive, simple random and cluster sampling procedures were used in the selection of schools, teachers and students respectively. The study sample size was 279, comprising of 145 girls and 126 boys, 6 teachers and two discipline masters. Data was collected using an adapted Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test and an indiscipline scale for teachers and students. Students’ academic achievement was measured by use of mean scores of the end of second term examination of year 2018. A pilot study was conducted to enhance reliability, content validity and construct validity of all the research instruments. The pilot study was also used to ascertain administrative logistics. In the pilot study, 36 form four students from one of the extra-county school participated. Descriptive statistics including frequency distributions, mean of variance and percentages were used to describe sample characteristics. Inferential statistical procedures including Pearson correlation and multiple regression, were used to test study hypotheses at α=0.05. The results provided evidence that among the domains of emotional intelligence, expression of emotions and academic achievement had the highest and significance positive relationship at r=0.676 followed by perception of emotions at r=0.635. A strong and significant positive relationship was found between overall emotional intelligence and academic achievement of the students with a correlation of r=0.672. The results further revealed a strong negative relationship between indiscipline and academic achievement (r=-0.531*) and slight differences of the indiscipline mean score between male and female participants was found. Additionally, emotional intelligence showed a strong negative relationship (r=-0.764*) with the students’ indiscipline level; however, the results revealed a positive insignificant relationship between the students’ ratings of their indiscipline level and the teachers rating of the students’ indiscipline. Finally, indiscipline was shown to have a higher negative predictive value compared to emotional intelligence in this study. A major recommendation of the study was that teachers, educators and all stakeholders in education should work together to enable development of emotional intelligence of students to enhance academic achievement, and reduce students’ indiscipline levels. Additionally, curriculum developers should consider incorporating emotional intelligence skills when preparing the curriculum